kimberly.willisNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Earlene McMichael became WMUK's local host of NPR's Morning Edition in August 2012 . A former, long-time Kalamazoo Gazette editor, reporter, and columnist, she was a news anchor at WHCU-FM when it was owned by Cornell University, her alma mater.NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Earlene McMichaelSat, 23 Sep 2017 22:56:30 +0000Earlene McMichaelhttp://wmuk.org
Earlene McMichaelThere's a grassroots group in Kalamazoo's Edison Neighborhood gaining national attention for its success finding employment for harder-to-place job seekers, like ex-offenders, those with disabilities and single mothers re-entering the workforce. Momentum Urban Employment Initiative was founded four years ago this October. Ninety-three percent of its participants get full-time jobs, officials say.WSW: 'Momentum' Helps Ex-Offenders, Others With Barriers, Find Jobshttp://wmuk.org/post/wsw-momentum-helps-ex-offenders-others-barriers-find-jobs
35836 as http://wmuk.orgWed, 13 Sep 2017 22:59:08 +0000WSW: 'Momentum' Helps Ex-Offenders, Others With Barriers, Find JobsEarlene McMichaelBad credit score? A history of bouncing checks? All are welcomed in the doors at Community Promise Federal Credit Union in Kalamazoo's Edison Neighborhood, but you won't leave the same. In exchange for affordably-priced loans, for example, customers must submit to financial counseling as well as turn in a household budget. Officials say their strategies are helping this non-profit bank, which is nearing the five-year mark, be successful in its mission of reversing the challenged financial pasts of low-to-moderate-income people.WSW: Boosting Credit Scores, Families' Hopes With New Approachhttp://wmuk.org/post/wsw-boosting-credit-scores-families-hopes-new-approach
35747 as http://wmuk.orgWed, 06 Sep 2017 22:03:45 +0000WSW: Boosting Credit Scores, Families' Hopes With New ApproachEarlene McMichaelTammy, a 65-year-old Kalamazoo-area woman, got divorced 18 years ago. She says her dates since have been few and gone nowhere, even after trying a matchmaking service. Gordon, 78, of Portage, has been widowed for three years. He’s been to lunch with a couple of women but finds it hard to call it dating. He and his wife were married for over half a century. For a variety of reasons, older adults can find it tougher to find a partner, even friends, at a time in their lives when social isolation can start to creep in, says Kim Phillips, manager of the Portage Senior Center . What’s an older adult to do?Never Too Late To Datehttp://wmuk.org/post/never-too-late-date
35517 as http://wmuk.orgFri, 25 Aug 2017 11:59:13 +0000Never Too Late To DateOn WestSouthwest, a look at dating for seniors.WestSouthwest August 10, 2017http://wmuk.org/post/westsouthwest-august-10-2017
35341 as http://wmuk.orgThu, 10 Aug 2017 17:32:09 +0000WestSouthwest August 10, 2017Earlene McMichaelHaving a strong social network has a positive effect on the health of senior citizens. But here's the thing: Finding a partner and friends can be tougher for older adults.Not Just Love or Sex, But Companionship: Over-50 Speed Datinghttp://wmuk.org/post/not-just-love-or-sex-companionship-over-50-speed-dating
35339 as http://wmuk.orgThu, 10 Aug 2017 13:54:02 +0000Not Just Love or Sex, But Companionship: Over-50 Speed DatingEarlene McMichaelIt's not often that a person gets a chance to become the CEO of the singular organization credited with transforming his or her life. Chris Harris-Wimsatt has. In February, he became head of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kalamazoo . On today's WestSouthwest, the Raleigh, N.C., native talks about his troubled childhood and how his local Boys Club was his refuge. It is a longer version of an interview that first aired in June.WestSouthwest: Get Familiar With Kalamazoo's Boys & Girls Club's New Leaderhttp://wmuk.org/post/westsouthwest-get-familiar-kalamazoos-boys-girls-clubs-new-leader
35086 as http://wmuk.orgMon, 24 Jul 2017 13:42:27 +0000Earlene McMichaelA winter coat? Boots? An umbrella? Sheets? Toothpaste? Things we take for granted. Not so for former foster youth starting college, says Ronicka Hamilton, director of Western Michigan University's Seita Scholars Program that helps these students succeed at Western. The program, which just graduated its 100th student, is now collecting items for the new round of participants. On today's WestSouthwest current affairs show, we revisit the Seita Scholars Program. It turns 10 years old this fall. (Click on icon to hear the show.)WestSouthwest: 100th Graduate Milestone Hit for WMU's Foster Youth Programhttp://wmuk.org/post/westsouthwest-100th-graduate-milestone-hit-wmus-foster-youth-program
34982 as http://wmuk.orgMon, 17 Jul 2017 13:17:24 +0000WestSouthwest: 100th Graduate Milestone Hit for WMU's Foster Youth ProgramEarlene McMichaelWhen Chris Harris-Wimsatt was a boy, his local Boys Club in Raleigh, N.C., was more than a place to have fun. "It was not only a place that saved my life, but gave me life," he tells WMUK's Earlene McMichael today in a very personal interview on the WestSouthwest public-affairs show. Starting around 5 years old, he often had to scrounge up his own food because he was left home alone for weeks at a time, he recalls. By age 11, he wanted to die. Now Harris-Wimsatt says he is paying forward the caring support that his club leaders gave him as the new head of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kalamazoo .WSW: Boys Club Saved His Life, Now He Heads Kalamazoo's Sitehttp://wmuk.org/post/wsw-boys-club-saved-his-life-now-he-heads-kalamazoos-site
34606 as http://wmuk.orgThu, 22 Jun 2017 13:31:12 +0000WSW: Boys Club Saved His Life, Now He Heads Kalamazoo's SiteOn WestSouthwest, a documentary on literacy screens in Kalamazoo, and matching volunteers with organizations that need their help.WestSouthwest June 15, 2017http://wmuk.org/post/westsouthwest-june-15-2017
34510 as http://wmuk.orgThu, 15 Jun 2017 15:58:23 +0000WestSouthwest June 15, 2017Earlene McMichaelVolunteer Kalamazoo may no longer be a standalone nonprofit organization -- it closed last year -- but its work matching volunteers with community needs lives on. It's now a program of Kalamazoo's Gryphon Place crisis center. And one big way officials say that that program has, and will continue to, let individuals learn about service opportunities is through Find Your Cause, a volunteer fair. The event is coming up on Tuesday, June 27 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation in downtown Kalamazoo, which is sponsoring the event with the reformed Volunteer Kalamazoo.WSW: 'Find Your Cause' Links Volunteers With Nonprofit Needshttp://wmuk.org/post/wsw-find-your-cause-links-volunteers-nonprofit-needs
34492 as http://wmuk.orgThu, 15 Jun 2017 13:37:45 +0000WSW: 'Find Your Cause' Links Volunteers With Nonprofit NeedsEarlene McMichaelA documentary that debuted overseas earlier this year about America's "illiteracy crisis" will be shown Tuesday, June 20 in Kalamazoo -- the first screening in the United States, says Michael Evans, executive of the Kalamazoo Literacy Council. A discussion will follow. The council's tutoring work with struggling adult learners is featured in the 24-minute "Making America Read" film. Evans joins WMUK's Earlene McMichael on today's WestSouthwest to discuss the event. ( Click on icon to hear interview. )WSW: U.S. Premiere of 'Making America Read' Film Planned Tuesday in Kalamazoohttp://wmuk.org/post/wsw-us-premiere-making-america-read-film-planned-tuesday-kalamazoo
34491 as http://wmuk.orgThu, 15 Jun 2017 13:32:51 +0000WSW: U.S. Premiere of 'Making America Read' Film Planned Tuesday in KalamazooEarlene McMichaelNone of Dr. David Ansell's patients who needed a transplant ever got one in his 27 years at two of Chicago's safety-net hospitals, yet the patients from the trauma units there, many of them black, he says, provided the organs for the procedures at the wealthier hospitals. Why? Ansell says the poorer hospitals had no transplant specialists on staff and, even if a referral were to be made, either the specialist didn't accept that type of insurance or the patient was uninsured. It's these and other inequities that's leading to wide disparities in the health between white and brown people in the U.S., says Ansell, who speaks in Kalamazoo on June 6.WSW: Inequality in America Kills, Doctor Sayshttp://wmuk.org/post/wsw-inequality-america-kills-doctor-says
34249 as http://wmuk.orgThu, 01 Jun 2017 12:59:25 +0000WSW: Inequality in America Kills, Doctor SaysEarlene McMichaelOn today's WestSouthwest, we bring you an extended version of WMUK's Earlene McMichael 's January interview with Cheree Thomas . She’s the new director of the Douglass Community Association , a 97-year-old outreach center in Kalamazoo that keeps keeping on thanks to public support. Thomas has been on the job now for five months.WestSouthwest: Get to Know New Douglass Center Director Cheree Thomashttp://wmuk.org/post/westsouthwest-get-know-new-douglass-center-director-cheree-thomas
34083 as http://wmuk.orgMon, 22 May 2017 13:25:04 +0000WestSouthwest: Get to Know New Douglass Center Director Cheree ThomasEarlene McMichaelSybrina Fulton , the mother of slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, spoke in Kalamazoo on March 29, and WMUK was there recording live. After her keynote address at Chenery Auditorium, our own Local Morning Edition Host Earlene McMichael interviewed her onstage for 40 minutes. A condensed version of that conversation airs at 9:30 a.m. & 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 13 on WestSouthwest, our award-winning public affairs show.WestSouthwest: Live @Chenery With Trayvon Martin's Mother Sybrina Fultonhttp://wmuk.org/post/westsouthwest-live-chenery-trayvon-martins-mother-sybrina-fulton
33462 as http://wmuk.orgWed, 12 Apr 2017 13:39:03 +0000WestSouthwest: Live @Chenery With Trayvon Martin's Mother Sybrina FultonEarlene McMichaelOn Friday and Saturday, April 7-8, Kalamazoo Valley Community College hosts the Kalamazoo Foodways Symposium , and the keynote speaker is Toni Tipton-Martin , an award-winning food and nutrition journalist and activist who runs a foundation dedicated to food-justice issues and healthy living. She speaks at 6 p.m. Friday at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. It is free, open to the public and does not require registration. (Click on the icon to hear an interview with her now, with a longer version below it.)Food Expert to Share Healthier Eating Message, Demonstrations in Kalamazoohttp://wmuk.org/post/food-expert-share-healthier-eating-message-demonstrations-kalamazoo
33379 as http://wmuk.orgThu, 06 Apr 2017 17:37:03 +0000Food Expert to Share Healthier Eating Message, Demonstrations in KalamazooEarlene McMichaelSybrina Fulton says she was catapulted from her quiet life as a civil service worker into high-profile anti-violence activism when her son Trayvon Martin was slain five years ago by a neighborhood watch volunteer. While it helped lead to the Black Lives Matter movement that draws attention to senseless deaths of African-Americans, Fulton says more is needed, like changes in laws. So she says she's contemplating running for office and will decide within the next few months. She speaks March 29 in Kalamazoo.WSW: Trayvon Martin's Mother: 'No Choice' But Mull Public Officehttp://wmuk.org/post/wsw-trayvon-martins-mother-no-choice-mull-public-office
33107 as http://wmuk.orgMon, 20 Mar 2017 13:30:40 +0000WSW: Trayvon Martin's Mother: 'No Choice' But Mull Public OfficeEarlene McMichaelWhen it was time for Kalamazoo College senior Kaylah "Kami" Simmons to choose a capstone project to do this year, she thought of a famous man she met in high school -- Hal Jackson . He's an African-American who broke the color barrier in radio in the '30s and is in several Halls of Fame . She didn't know his significance back then. Now a theater arts major with a media studies concentration who's contemplating a journalism career, Simmons wants more people to know about Jackson and this Saturday presents a reader's theater play inspired by his life. He died in 2012 at 96.WSW: Student's Play Honors Black Radio Pioneer Hal Jacksonhttp://wmuk.org/post/wsw-students-play-honors-black-radio-pioneer-hal-jackson
32991 as http://wmuk.orgThu, 09 Mar 2017 14:06:01 +0000WSW: Student's Play Honors Black Radio Pioneer Hal JacksonEarlene McMichaelKareem Abdul-Jabbar , the NBA's all-time leading scorer, is well-known for his feats on the court. But did you know that, as a high-school reporter, he covered the late Martin Luther King Jr. at a press conference? And he's been writing ever since. Abdul-Jabbar shares this story and more in his new book, "Writings on the Wall: Searching for A New Equality Beyond Black and White," which is the Kalamazoo Public Library's Reading Together selection this year.Reading Together 2017: What You Need to Knowhttp://wmuk.org/post/reading-together-2017-what-you-need-know
32783 as http://wmuk.orgFri, 24 Feb 2017 13:56:50 +0000Reading Together 2017: What You Need to KnowEarlene McMichaelAt a time when some community read programs have shut down, Kalamazoo Public Library Director Ann Rohrbaugh says her institution's Reading Together will be reaching its 15th milestone anniversary in March. She says picking books with potential for lively discussions, often around social issues, is its winning formula. This year's selection is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 's " Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White ," a book of essays about race relations. He'll speak in Kalamazoo on March 14.Reading Together: Getting Us Through Winter for 15 Yearshttp://wmuk.org/post/reading-together-getting-us-through-winter-15-years
32766 as http://wmuk.orgThu, 23 Feb 2017 14:08:38 +0000Reading Together: Getting Us Through Winter for 15 YearsEarlene McMichaelDid you know that most foster youth are released from their state's care at age 18? Research shows they become vulnerable to homelessness, and few pursue college. Western Michigan University is changing that. Nearly 10 years ago, it founded the award-winning Seita Scholars Program that's led to 99 students who aged out of the system earning their degrees. This spring, officials say, their 100th participant is expected to graduate.99 College Grads & Counting: WMU's Foster Youth Programhttp://wmuk.org/post/99-college-grads-counting-wmus-foster-youth-program
32542 as http://wmuk.orgThu, 09 Feb 2017 14:40:25 +0000